IN WORDS: I Intend to Stay With Mercedes – Lewis

IN WORDS: I Intend to Stay With Mercedes – Lewis

Lewis Hamilton says he plans on extending his contract with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport beyond 2018, but that he's in no rush to finalise a deal.

'I still have another year, so we have a lot of time'

Title rival Sebastian Vettel recently resigned with Ferrari until 2020, and while Lewis admits the length deal was unexpected, he says it doesn't change his future with the Silver Arrows.

"I don't know if everyone expected Sebastian to sign a three-year deal," said Lewis. "It doesn't really change much to me, because I planned to extend with the team, which we will do at some point in the second half of the season, or towards the end of the year.

"I know Toto has said that we'll wait until the end of the season, because generally that's what I like to do, there's no rush. I still have another year, so we have a lot of time. I think last contract went all the way into the mid-part of the season."

'There's no rush'

Lewis says he has not spoken to any rival teams, and that if he did want to leave, he'd inform Silver Arrows team boss Toto Wolff.

"There's no rush, and I know the team is fully committed to me, and I've never picked up the phone and spoken to any of those other teams. I made that very clear to the guys.

"I'm not trying to weigh up my options, and if I was I'd call Toto and say I'm going to due diligence and see what options there are for me. Currently I have no plans to do that.

"It's good for Sebastian that he's signed there. I think all things happen for a reason, and in the kind of plan that I have coming up, my five years, whatever it is, six years that I have left in the sport, that piece of the puzzle is now in place, so it makes my decision moving forward a lot easier."